Read more
An inspirational memoir about an abandoned young boy who escaped the devastating famine in North Korea and came to America in search of survival, freedom, and the pursuit of his wildest dreams. ¶ "Riveting."--Publishers Weekly (starred review) ¶ Inside the hidden and mysterious world of North Korea, Joseph Kim lived a young boy's normal life until he was five. Then disaster struck: the first wave of the Great Famine, a long, terrible ordeal that killed millions, including his father, and sent others, like his mother and only sister, on desperate escape routes into China. Alone on the streets, Joseph learned to beg and steal. He had nothing but a street-hardened survival instinct. Finally, in desperation, he too crossed a frozen river to escape to China. There a kindly Christian woman took him in, kept him hidden from the authorities, and gave him hope. Soon, through an underground network of activists, he was spirited to the American consulate, and became one of just a handful of North Koreans to be brought to the U.S. as refugees. Joseph knew no English barely had an education. Yet the kindness of his foster family changed his life. He mastered English, made it to college, and, against all odds, was able to achieve the American Dream.
About the author
JOSEPH KIM was born in North Korean in 1990. In 2007 he came to the United States, where he completed high school and went to college in New York City.
Summary
An inspirational memoir about an abandoned young boy who escaped the devastating famine in North Korea and came to America in search of survival, freedom, and the pursuit of his wildest dreams. ¶ “Riveting.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) ¶ Inside the hidden and mysterious world of North Korea, Joseph Kim lived a young boy’s normal life until he was five. Then disaster struck: the first wave of the Great Famine, a long, terrible ordeal that killed millions, including his father, and sent others, like his mother and only sister, on desperate escape routes into China. Alone on the streets, Joseph learned to beg and steal. He had nothing but a street-hardened survival instinct. Finally, in desperation, he too crossed a frozen river to escape to China. There a kindly Christian woman took him in, kept him hidden from the authorities, and gave him hope. Soon, through an underground network of activists, he was spirited to the American consulate, and became one of just a handful of North Koreans to be brought to the U.S. as refugees. Joseph knew no English barely had an education. Yet the kindness of his foster family changed his life. He mastered English, made it to college, and, against all odds, was able to achieve the American Dream.
Additional text
"[A] page-turner—fast-paced, suspenseful and novelistic. . . Searing." —Wall Street Journal “Vital to our understanding of life in North Korea.” —Washington Post "There's something riveting about his honesty; he portrays the bleak conditions, dwindling resources, eternal uncertainty, and loss of dignity with an unashamed matter-of-factness almost at odds with the desperate circumstances...Kim's tale is a vital insight into a little-understood country and a modern day tragedy." —Publishers Weekly, starred review "This short, brutish book—with chapter-ending cliffhangers presaging the next hard twist—will enlighten readers as to the devastating hardships facing those living in North Korea during the 'great famine.'" —Booklist “Told with poise and dignity, Kim’s story…provides vivid documentation of a remarkable life. It also offers an important account of atrocities committed within North Korea that have been hidden from the West—and indeed, most of the rest of the world. A courageous and inspiring memoir.” —Kirkus Reviews
